LEADERS AND THEIR LEARNING



Leaders and their learning

National Framework of Competencies for School Leaders –September 2000

Australian Principals associations professional development council inc

Leaders & their Learning

( APAPDC

Education Development Centre

Milner Street, Hindmarsh SA 5007

Phone 08 8463 5860 • Fax 08 8463 5865

Leaders & Their Learning

The Australian Principals Associations Professional Development Council provides Australia’s school principals with access to quality, relevant professional development programs and services across all systems and at all levels of schooling. The APAPDC is a unique organisation that brings together the four peak principals associations to work for the professional welfare of all Australian Principals.

These associations are:

1. Australian Primary Principals Association

2. Australian Secondary Principals Association

3. Association of Heads of Independents Schools of Australia and

4. Association of Principals of Catholic Secondary Schools of Australia.

Background

The original Leaders and Their Learning was first developed back in 1993 through a Project of National Significance “Leading and Managing in Australian Schools”. It was developed by principals and other stakeholders for use in the development of leadership competencies.

In 1999 and 2000, following a needs analysis of principals Leaders and Their Learning was updated and appears here in draft form.

Leaders and Their Learning

The performance of the principal is often identified as a critical factor in the effectiveness of a school. This publication provides a reference point for individuals striving to advance leadership and management in schools.

It establishes a framework for professional development activities, provides a link to national initiatives and provides individual principals with a profile to assist reflection on their current practices and to develop their personal professional learning plan.

Those aspiring to the principalship can use Leaders and Their Learning as a tool in their career and professional development planning and those undertaking a mentoring or peer assisted learning program can use it to plan a course of action.

Defining Competence

A competency is the underlying characteristic that enables someone to perform a specific job. A competency is not a task, it is what enables a person to do a task. Each of the seven competencies in Leaders and Their Learning are broken into performance criteria which indicate the knowledge and skills that lead to competent performance.

The Challenge of the Principalship

Improved learning outcomes for all students are essential to Australia’s future and should underpin all professional development for principals and potential principals.

An in depth understanding of teaching and learning processes is the base on which to build effective school leadership. It is these understandings that distinguish school principals from the managers of other enterprises. These understandings are becoming increasingly more complex and principals need up-to-date knowledge of the trends in fostering learning, in the range of learning environments and the possibilities available through new technology.

It is a principal’s task to ensure that the school caters for the learning needs of all students. This requires an appreciation of the changing values and attitudes in areas such as social justice, race, culture, social class, gender and special needs as well as an understanding of the needs of students, parents and members of the local community. It requires also a capacity to work collaboratively with the school community, parents, teachers, and students, to develop a sense of shared purpose between the school and the community.

As educational leaders, principals also require a broad understanding of regional and international trends and issues. They are responsible for interpreting these trends and issues at the school level, and deciding collaboratively with staff what directions should be taken.

Partnerships

The changing nature of schooling means that for principals there is much greater emphasis on developing and maintaining creative partnerships with outside interests. The nature of partnerships with parents is changing, partnerships are being developed between schools, industry and local communities and in the post compulsory area. There is also the development of new pathways between schools, universities, TAFE Colleges and private training providers.

Such complex tasks require high level skills in both leadership and management. While we believe that distinctions can be made between the characteristics of leadership and management, each informs and complements the other.

Leadership

Characteristics which are identified as important in relation to leadership include:

• providing vision

• developing consultatively a common purpose

• facilitating the achievement of educational and organisational goals

• being responsive to diverse needs and situations

• having a future orientation

• providing educational entrepreneurship

• linking resources to outcomes

• supporting the school as a lively educational place

• working creatively with and empowering others

• ensuring that the processes and content of the curriculum are contemporary and relevant.

Management

The important characteristics for management include:

• ensuring that management practices reflect leadership actions

• carrying out restructuring so that the school organisation is more effective and efficient

• collaboratively designing and carrying out strategic plans

• meeting accountability requirements

• getting things done

• making sure the organisation is running smoothly

• working effectively with people

• providing effective financial management

• marketing and promoting the school.

Changing expectations of the Principal

Many principals in non-government systemic schools have held responsibility for financial management and marketing of their services for some time. However, in the government education systems it is only relatively recently that these responsibilities have been passed on to principals in individual schools through decentralisation and devolution.

Restructuring also requires that the principal assume a much higher profile in industrial relations in the school, address a broader range of staffing issues, and take responsibility for developing flatter organisational structures.

Following the reclassification of positions and the increased use of merit selection, differing expectations in relation to career paths have emerged. This trend is affecting all systems and sectors and is particularly salient for principals whose expectation of promotion has been based to a large extent on seniority and experience in schools. The introduction of contracts for school leaders has lead in some states to a further flattening of organisational structures and wider participation in decision making by staff and community representatives.

The Principal as an Individual

The starting point for leaders when considering their professional development needs will depend on the individual internal and external environments and contexts in which they work.

Internal contexts include:

• the principal's personal context, his or her age, gender, personality and preferences, strengths, ambitions and needs;

• his or her values and attitudes about teaching and learning;

• his or her own strengths and weaknesses in offering leadership to staff;

• the local school environment, the nature of the school, its history, attitudes and values of its community and the community which it serves, relationships between staff, students and parents and members of the community.

External contexts include:

• the system or sector context, the general but also particular influences that determine the directions schools follow whether they are government, Catholic, independent or other;

• the national context of various and varied agendas set by political forces, not all of which have parliamentary bases;

• the international context where differing solutions are being offered to what are common issues of curriculum, assessment and restructured environments.

Past Experience

Analysis of data callected in surveys some six years ago indicates that principals consider that their abilities in

1. organisational management

2. educational leadership

3. organisational leadership and

4. educational management

are central to their performance. The above ranking reflects principals' perception of their professional development needs at the time of the research.

The strong emphasis on organisational management is not surprising given the devolution in recent years of many responsibilities from system authorities to the school level. This emphasis may well change as new organisational structures become familiar and principals feel comfortable with the changes. Traditionally, principals in Australia have regarded educational leadership and organisational leadership — areas which require skills peculiar to teaching — as the priorities.

However, while the above four areas received the most direct attention from principals, analysis of responses revealed that principals also acknowledge the importance of three other dimensions of leadership — cultural, political and reflective. The way these dimensions interact with the more obvious areas is very significant. The analysis endorses the view that being an effective leader and manager requires a combination of understandings and skills from all these areas.

The professional consensus is that a knowledge and familiarity with the key concepts in each of the areas set out in the following pages will help to develop the skills that principals now require.

At the individual level, reflection and analysis of the material in the following section will help readers to develop their own personal professional development plan.

Educational Leadership

As the educational leader, the principal accepts responsibility for ensuring that the learning of students in the school is optimal. There is also a broader, more encompassing role where the principal is a community educator who can articulate and interpret national and global trends and issues and relate them to the school setting. A successful educational leader is likely to possess the following knowledge and skills:

|Knowledge of … |& |skills |

|Educational change |& |the skills to develop and articulate an educational vision, engage staff in |

| | |developing educational goals and involve parents |

|Teaching processes |& |the skills to arrange appropriate staff development and monitor staff expertise |

|Learning processes |& |the skills to enable them to model and encourage action learning and facilitate staff|

| | |development and renewal |

|Curriculum |& |the skills to plan and delegate the planning of changes and to review changes |

|Assessment |& |the skills to develop and evaluate assessment policies and practices and maintain |

| | |ongoing evaluation to improve practice |

|Policy issues |& |the skills to form educational policies and analyse current policies, modifying them |

| | |where necessary |

|National & global issues |& |the skills to interpret and articulate social, economic and environmental trends and |

| | |issues and relate them to school needs and practices |

|New technologies |& |the skills to select and apply technology to instructional processes |

Organisational Leadership

Organisational leadership comprises the knowledge and skills of leaders who have vision, who are able to develop cooperatively a common purpose, who are creative and inspiring in their interactions with others, and who use their talents in setting future directions for the school in a cooperative way. The value of organisational leadership skills is being reassessed as the focus of attention shifts to improving the performance of the frontline professional, in this case, the classroom teacher. Knowledge and skills important to effective organisational leadership include:

|Knowledge of … |& |skills |

|Organisational change |& |the skills to work cooperatively through change and lead the change process |

|Structures of organisations |& |the skills to put into place structures suited to the needs of the school and liaise |

| | |with other organisations |

|Team building |& |the skills to develop cooperative strategies for decision making |

|Empowerment |& |the skills to ensure the sharing of power throughout the school |

|Ethics |& |the skills to promote ethical codes of behaviour and action |

|Morale |& |the skills to ensure a positive and rewarding climate to boost morale |

|Pastoral care |& |the skills to counsel students and staff |

|Networking |& |the skills to build external affiliations to maximise expertise available to the |

| | |school |

|Employment reforms |& |the skills to advise on the implications of policies. |

Educational Management

Educational management results in the provision of an optimal learning environment where all educational issues are carefully considered, matched with current trends in curriculum content and processes and then evaluated. Effective educational management ensures that the educational ideals of the school are fulfilled. It is assisted by awareness of the following areas of knowledge and proficiency and by the following skills:

|Knowledge of … |& |skills |

|Curriculum policies |& |the skills to monitor, plan, implement and evaluate policies and practice, to be |

| | |accountable to students, parents and the community, and facilitate an ongoing process of |

| | |review |

|Curriculum change |& |the skills to review curriculum and shifts in curriculum priorities |

|Managing staff |& |the skills to appraise staff, implement mutually acceptable staff appraisal and staff |

| | |development programs and to allocate workloads |

|Student behaviour |& |the skills to develop and implement a behaviour management policy with cultural and social|

| | |relevance |

|Marketing and promotion |& |the skills to inform the community of the school’s mission |

|Needs analysis approaches |& |the skills to select and use needs analysis instruments and to set priorities |

| | |consultatively |

Organisational Management

Effective organisational management ensures that a school is running smoothly and that the goals and common purposes leading to improved student outcomes are achieved. Devolution has meant that many principals now work in close collaboration with school staff and parents across a wide range of activities, for instance from discussing individual professional development plans and engaging in staff appraisal to consultation about the allocation of available resources within the school. These skills derived from a sound knowledge base are important:

|Knowledge of … |& |skills |

|Interpersonal relations |& |the skills to work effectively with staff, students, parents and the community as |

| | |well as perceiving the needs and concerns of others |

|Communication strategies |& |the skills to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, with staff, students, |

| | |parents and the community, including the news media |

|Motivation |& |the skills to build commitment to a course of action and to challenge themselves and |

| | |others |

|Staff management |& |the skills to bring about satisfaction of staff, students, parents and community; to |

| | |recognise and reward staff appropriately and to delegate |

|Strategic planning |& |the skills to develop collaboratively plans to meet the agreed needs of the school |

| | |and to set priorities |

|Decision making |& |the skills to facilitate participatory decision making, reach logical conclusions and|

| | |make high quality, timely decisions in consultation |

|Behaviour management |& |the skills to take a lead in the development of policies for student behaviour |

| | |management and pastoral care. |

|Equity issues |& |the skills to ensure equity for students and staff |

|Industrial relations |& |the skills to negotiate working conditions, and mediate within the school |

|Law and legislation |& |the skills to advise on courses of action and to identify sources of expertise as |

| | |well as to act in accordance with relevant laws, regulations and policies and to be |

| | |able to administer matters such as contracts |

|Financial management |& |the skills to manage budgets and to align resources to meet costs |

|Problem management |& |the skills to identify and solve problems |

|Change management |& |the skills to manage school change and to manage change constructively |

|Conflict management |& |the skills to address and resolve conflicts |

|Crisis management |& |the skills to reduce crises through planning. To plan crisis management strategies |

| | |and to offer counsel and initiate actions when crises occur |

|Time management |& |the skills to use strategies for efficient and effective use of time |

|Stress management |& |the skills to manage personal and school stress |

|Modern management technologies |& |the skills to use technological management tools |

Cultural Leadership

Cultural leadership entails an understanding of cultural values and the role of education in Australia today. Cultural leaders act in accordance with accepted ethical standards.

Cultural leadership relates to understanding the ethos of the school, its community and the system and/or sector to which it belongs. Such knowledge includes the history and the traditions of the school and the way it works.

Cultural leadership also requires knowledge of the organisational culture of the school, the agency and the sector. Understanding the impact organisational culture has on the working of the school means that consideration should be taken of outward appearances and actions which are conveying messages about the organisation to those in the school and to the community; the strategic beliefs and actions which are leading to organisational changes; and the values and actions which guide the beliefs and actions. To be able to offer cultural leadership, a principal is likely to possess the following knowledge and skills:

|Knowledge of … |& |Skills |

|Ethos of the school |& |the skills to analyse the history, traditions and context of the school, the community, |

| | |the system and/or sector; to coordinate an environmental scan and skills audit; to help |

| | |the school community reflect critically on the impact of cultural change; to synthesise |

| | |the information and to lead the ensuing changes |

|The organisational culture |& |the skills to reflect on the features of the organisation, e.g., stories, rituals, |

| | |ceremonies and customs, and the messages they convey; to diagnose cooperatively the areas|

| | |where and when change is needed; to identify and resolve how power is used; to modify |

| | |strategic beliefs and actions in line with developing mission, long-range plans and |

| | |structural redesign; and to help others to know the culture and modify aspects of it |

| | |where appropriate |

Political Leadership

Political leadership follows from and complements cultural leadership. Political leadership entails the ability to negotiate with teachers, parents and community members on the direction the school is charting to achieve its mission and goals. The principal also needs skills of negotiation in the wider arena of the sector, system and sometimes the outside community, to ensure resources are adequate for school needs. Knowledge and skills important to effective political leadership are:

|Knowledge of … |& |skills |

|Negotiating processes |& |the skills to engage and mobilise the support of policy makers, administrators, |

| | |students, parents and other community, business and union members in improving the |

| | |workplace and conditions of teachers and students |

|Local and societal trends |& |the skills to nurture a learning community in a complex web of stakeholders and |

| | |interest groups |

|Administrative priorities |& |the skills to work within frameworks set by others and at the same time to meet the |

| | |needs of students |

|Policy |& |the skills to identify the relationships between current government policy and the |

| | |school |

|Possible future directions |& |the skills to develop and communicate likely new directions to those whose cooperation|

| | |may be needed and so influence the creation of teams and coalitions that understand |

| | |the vision and strategies and accept their validity |

Reflective Leadership

All leaders reflect on their leadership practices. Critical reflection is crucial to strategic planning and action. Reflection on leadership practices has two components — one personal and the other professional. On the professional side, reflective school principals may ask themselves how their actions can be improved by understanding, choosing and implementing aspects of different literature in their study and in discussion with colleagues. On the personal side, they may consider their own personal characteristics and how the actions they take convey messages to students, staff, parents and the community.

A needs analysis can be undertaken which relates to a principal’s specific working environment at the time. There are several approaches, each recommending a cycle of reflection, planning, action and evaluation. These approaches include action research, environmental scanning, skills audit and strategic planning. Instruments are also readily available, for example, leadership profile inventories, the Myers Briggs-type indicators, assessment centres and neuro-linguistic programming.

Reflecting on practice may be made a worthwhile activity with some understandings and skills:

|Knowledge of … |& |skills |

|One’s own characteristics |& |the skills to analyse informally and formally through available instruments |

|Theories of leadership |& |the skills to choose relevant concepts to assist in improving leadership and management |

| | |practices and to integrate newly learned concepts into one’s actions |

Selecting Learning Packages

There is a smorgasbord of professional development opportunities for principals, many designed to meet the needs identified in the previous section. The challenge for principals is how to design a professional development program to meet their individual needs from the offerings available.

As a result of earlier research APAPDC believes that:

principals give strongest support to those professional development activities where they have been involved through their professional associations. This involvement includes determining client needs, as well as the content and mode of delivery of activities

the most acceptable professional development activities are those which have flexible modes of delivery and access times. They include a mixture of theory, research findings and school-based action research projects

principals and their associations believe that professional development is a responsibility they share with their employers. They accept that they need to develop collegial networks to provide opportunities for mentoring and shadowing which are especially important for the induction of new principals and training of potential principals

principals claim that exchanges and secondments are the forms of professional development which are most likely to promote lasting changes

access to professional development is most limited for those principals with teaching loads (who form the majority of principals in Australia) and those in remote rural areas.

Most professional development needs can be met from the wide offerings that are available already in the educational marketplace or from departmental and professional association sources.

Courses and seminars, often tailored to needs, are provided within sectors of the educational community and by systems, tertiary education institutions, management schools and private consultants.

Individualised materials, such as distance education packages and open learning materials are available and are often divided into modules.

Colleague initiatives result in professional conferences, mentoring, peer assisted leadership, shadowing, clusters, networks and so on.

Individual initiatives like internships, exchanges, study leave, secondments, publications and private study.

Making a Choice

It is difficult to prepare a single set of criteria by which to judge good professional development practice.

The test for good professional development practice is client satisfaction but it is helpful to have criteria by which to judge good professional development practice. Does an activity or program have many of these features?

Learning

the learners are encouraged to take increasing responsibility for their own learning.

there are opportunities for self direction.

activities relate to the learners' experience and knowledge base.

the activities are engaging, challenging, supportive, and non threatening.

there are a variety of learning modes for learners to choose that which is compatible with their own styles and needs.

opportunities are made available for collaborative learning.

the learning empowers, enlivens, and helps people to take risks and issue challenges.

the learning results in change.

motivation is increased and enthusiasm is renewed.

Organisation

there is provision for cooperative planning, implementation and evaluation by principals and providers.

importance is placed on the involvement of the principal in negotiating program content

there is opportunity for reflection on contexts and actions.

adequate support is provided for feedback, reflection and networking.

Content

the activity recognises the development needs of the participants.

there is a balance of contemporary theory and successful practice.

the changing school, state, national and international contexts of leadership and management are addressed.

one or more of the priority knowledge and skills content areas identified are examined.

one or more of the identified needs of particular groups are met.

there is opportunity to test the ideas and actions for feasibility and validity.

Evaluation

there is evidence of participant satisfaction

participants in the activity are encouraged to assess their own work

there is opportunity for peer evaluation

the activity widens career options

evidence of a link between learning and the workplace is demonstrated

it is cost effective.

Leaders and Their Learning

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN

| | |

|NAME: | |

| | |

|SCHOOL: | |

| | |

|DURATION OF PLAN: | |

SECTION A: BACKGROUND INFORMATION

|Qualifications completed |Year |

|List all formal qualifications completed and any study in progress | |

| | |

| | |

| | |

| | |

| | |

|Positions held |Years |

|List all previous work experience, both inside and outside of education | |

| | |

| | |

| | |

| | |

| | |

|Professional Affiliations |Position(s) held |Years |

|List the professional associations to which you belong, and indicate any positions that you have held in these organisations. |

| | | |

| | | |

| | | |

| | | |

|Interests apart from education |Average Time |Commitment |

|List any personal interests and involvements that you have outside of education – eg. Leisure activities, community organisations |

|etc. |

| | | |

| | | |

| | | |

| | | |

| | | |

| | | |

SECTION B: Strengths and Weaknesses

|In this section of the plan you should endeavour to make an assessment of your own strengths and weaknesses to enable you to |

|identify the skill areas that will be the focus of your improved activities. For each skill that is listed, make an assessment |

|of whether you exercise it: |

|Very Rarely 2. Occasionally 3. Frequently 4. Nearly all the time |

|Competency 1: Educational Leadership |

|How often do you use the specific skills needed to: | |

|develop and articulate an educational vision, engage staff in developing education mission and |Very Rarely |

|goals and involve parents |Occasionally |

| |Frequently |

| |Nearly all the time |

|Reflect critically and constructively with staff on alternative courses of action which may be |Very Rarely |

|taken |Occasionally |

| |Frequently |

| |Nearly all the time |

|arrange appropriate staff development and monitor staff expertise |Very Rarely |

| |Occasionally |

| |Frequently |

| |Nearly all the time |

|enable them to model and encourage action learning and facilitate staff development and renewal |Very Rarely |

| |Occasionally |

| |Frequently |

| |Nearly all the time |

|plan and delegate the planning of changes and review changes |Very Rarely |

| |Occasionally |

| |Frequently |

| |Nearly all the time |

|develop and evaluate assessment policies and practices and maintain on-going evaluation to |Very Rarely |

|improve practice |Occasionally |

| |Frequently |

| |Nearly all the time |

|form educational policies and analyse current policies modifying them where necessary |Very Rarely |

| |Occasionally |

| |Frequently |

| |Nearly all the time |

|interpret and articulate social, economic and environmental trends and issues and relate them to|Very Rarely |

|school needs and practices |Occasionally |

| |Frequently |

| |Nearly all the time |

|select and apply technology to instructional processes |Very Rarely |

| |Occasionally |

| |Frequently |

| |Nearly all the time |

|Collate your scores: |

|π1. Very Rarely π2. Occasionally π3. Frequently π4. Nearly all the time |

SECTION B: Strengths and Weaknesses

|Competency 2: Organisational Leadership |

|How often do you use the specific skills needed to: | |

|work co-operatively through change and lead the change process |Very Rarely |

| |Occasionally |

| |Frequently |

| |Nearly all the time |

|put into place structures suited to the needs of the school and liaise with other organisations |Very Rarely |

| |Occasionally |

| |Frequently |

| |Nearly all the time |

|develop cooperative strategies for decision making |Very Rarely |

| |Occasionally |

| |Frequently |

| |Nearly all the time |

|ensure the sharing of power throughout the school |Very Rarely |

| |Occasionally |

| |Frequently |

| |Nearly all the time |

|promote ethical codes of behaviour and action |Very Rarely |

| |Occasionally |

| |Frequently |

| |Nearly all the time |

|ensure a positive and rewarding climate to boost morale |Very Rarely |

| |Occasionally |

| |Frequently |

| |Nearly all the time |

|counsel students and staff |Very Rarely |

| |Occasionally |

| |Frequently |

| |Nearly all the time |

|build external affiliations to maximise expertise available to the school |Very Rarely |

| |Occasionally |

| |Frequently |

| |Nearly all the time |

|advise on the implications of policies |Very Rarely |

| |Occasionally |

| |Frequently |

| |Nearly all the time |

|Collate your scores: |

|π1. Very Rarely π2. Occasionally π3. Frequently π4. Nearly all the time |

SECTION B: Strengths and Weaknesses

|Competency 3: Educational Management |

|How often do you use the specific skills needed to: | |

|monitor, plan, implement and evaluate policies and practice, to be accountable to students, |Very Rarely |

|parents and the community, and facilitate an ongoing process of review |Occasionally |

| |Frequently |

| |Nearly all the time |

|review curriculum and shifts in curriculum priorities |Very Rarely |

| |Occasionally |

| |Frequently |

| |Nearly all the time |

|appraise staff, implement mutually acceptable staff appraisal and staff development programs to |Very Rarely |

|allocate workloads |Occasionally |

| |Frequently |

| |Nearly all the time |

|develop and implement a behaviour management policy |Very Rarely |

| |Occasionally |

| |Frequently |

| |Nearly all the time |

|inform and promote to the community the school’s mission and strategic plan; select and use |Very Rarely |

|approaches and needs analysis instruments; and set priorities constructively |Occasionally |

| |Frequently |

| |Nearly all the time |

|Collate your scores: |

|π1. Very Rarely π2. Occasionally π3. Frequently π4. Nearly all the time |

SECTION B: Strengths and Weaknesses

|Competency 4: Organisation Management |

|How often do you use the specific skills needed to: | |

|work effectively with staff, students, parents and the community as well as perceiving the need |Very Rarely |

|and concerns of others |Occasionally |

| |Frequently |

| |Nearly all the time |

|communicate effectively orally and in writing, with staff, students, parents and the community, |Very Rarely |

|including the media |Occasionally |

| |Frequently |

| |Nearly all the time |

|build commitment to a course of action and to challenge oneself and others |Very Rarely |

| |Occasionally |

| |Frequently |

| |Nearly all the time |

|bring about satisfaction of staff, students, parents and the community; recognise and reward |Very Rarely |

|staff appropriately and delegate |Occasionally |

| |Frequently |

| |Nearly all the time |

|develop collaborative plans to meet the agreed needs of the school and set priorities |Very Rarely |

| |Occasionally |

| |Frequently |

| |Nearly all the time |

|facilitate participatory decision making, reach logical conclusions and make high quality, |Very Rarely |

|timely decisions in consultation |Occasionally |

| |Frequently |

| |Nearly all the time |

|lead in the development of policies for student behaviour management and pastoral care |Very Rarely |

| |Occasionally |

| |Frequently |

| |Nearly all the time |

|ensure equity for students and staff |Very Rarely |

| |Occasionally |

| |Frequently |

| |Nearly all the time |

|negotiate working conditions, and mediate within the school |Very Rarely |

| |Occasionally |

| |Frequently |

| |Nearly all the time |

|advise on courses of action and to identify sources of expertise as well as to act in accordance|Very Rarely |

|with relevant laws, regulations and policies and to be able to administer matters such as |Occasionally |

|contracts |Frequently |

| |Nearly all the time |

|manage budgets and to align resources to meet costs |Very Rarely |

| |Occasionally |

| |Frequently |

| |Nearly all the time |

|identify and solve problems |Very Rarely |

| |Occasionally |

| |Frequently |

| |Nearly all the time |

|manage school change and manage constructively |Very Rarely |

| |Occasionally |

| |Frequently |

| |Nearly all the time |

|address and resolve conflict |Very Rarely |

| |Occasionally |

| |Frequently |

| |Nearly all the time |

|reduce crises through planning and plan crisis management strategies and offer counsel and |Very Rarely |

|initiate actions when crises occur |Occasionally |

| |Frequently |

| |Nearly all the time |

|use strategies for efficient and effective use of time |Very Rarely |

| |Occasionally |

| |Frequently |

| |Nearly all the time |

|manage personal and school stress |Very Rarely |

| |Occasionally |

| |Frequently |

| |Nearly all the time |

|use technological management tools |Very Rarely |

| |Occasionally |

| |Frequently |

| |Nearly all the time |

|Collate your scores: |

|π1. Very Rarely π2. Occasionally π3. Frequently π4. Nearly all the time |

|Competency 5: Cultural Leadership |

|How often do you use the specific skills needed to: | |

|analyse the history, traditions and context of the school, community, the system and / or |Very Rarely |

|sector; to coordinate an environmental scan and skills audit; to help the school community |Occasionally |

|reflect critically on the impact of cultural change; to synthesise the information and to lead |Frequently |

|the ensuring changes |Nearly all the time |

|reflect on the features of the organisation eg. stories, rituals, ceremonies and customs and the|Very Rarely |

|messages they convey; to diagnose cooperatively the areas where and when change is needed; to |Occasionally |

|identify and resolve how power is used; to modify strategic beliefs and actions in line with |Frequently |

|developing mission, long range plans and structural redesign; and to help others to know the |Nearly all the time |

|culture and modify aspects of it where appropriate | |

|Collate your scores: |

|π1. Very Rarely π2. Occasionally π3. Frequently π4. Nearly all the time |

SECTION B: Strengths and Weaknesses

|Competency 6: Political Leadership |

|How often do you use the specific skills needed to: | |

|nurture a learning community in a complex web of stakeholders and interest groups |Very Rarely |

| |Occasionally |

| |Frequently |

| |Nearly all the time |

|work within frameworks set by others and at the same time to meet the needs of students |Very Rarely |

| |Occasionally |

| |Frequently |

| |Nearly all the time |

|the skills to identify the relationships between current government policy and the school |Very Rarely |

| |Occasionally |

| |Frequently |

| |Nearly all the time |

|develop and communicate likely new directions to those whose cooperation may be needed and so |Very Rarely |

|influence the creation of teams and coalitions that understand the vision and strategies and |Occasionally |

|accept their validity |Frequently |

| |Nearly all the time |

|Collate your scores: |

|π1. Very Rarely π2. Occasionally π3. Frequently π4. Nearly all the time |

|Competency 7: Reflective Leadership |

|How often do you use the specific skills needed to: | |

|analyse informally and formally through available instruments |Very Rarely |

| |Occasionally |

| |Frequently |

| |Nearly all the time |

|choose relevant concepts to assist in improving leadership and management practices and to |Very Rarely |

|integrate newly learned concepts into one’s actions |Occasionally |

| |Frequently |

| |Nearly all the time |

|Collate your scores: |

|π1. Very Rarely π2. Occasionally π3. Frequently π4. Nearly all the time |

SECTION B: Strengths and Weaknesses

By entering your score in the appropriate column for each broad skill area you will get a sense of where best to focus your personal development activities.

|Skill |Very Rarely |Occasionally |Frequently |Nearly All The Time |

|Educational Leadership | | | | |

|Organisational Leadership | | | | |

|Educational Management | | | | |

|Organisational Management | | | | |

|Cultural Leadership | | | | |

|Political Leadership | | | | |

|Reflective Leadership | | | | |

| | |

|Skills – Areas of Strength | |

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|Skills – Areas requiring improvement | |

|To gain maximum benefit from your Personal Development Plan you need to ensure that it is clearly focussed. It is therefore recommended that |

|you limit your plan to 2-3 key skill areas and/or specific skills |

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|Skills – Specific skills to be focussed on | |

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SECTION C: PERSONAL GOALS AND SPECIFIC ACTIONS

This section of the plan is aimed at identifying some specific personal development goals and a set of actions designed to achieve these goals

|GOALS | |

| |

|We establish goals in order to: |

| |

|Direct Goals guide where we are heading; they enable us to develop a clear mental picture of what we want to achieve. |

| |

|Motivate Goals give us something to aim for, a target, a purpose. |

| |

|Reinforce Goal accomplishment develops feelings of success; it provides positive experience and reinforces self-esteem; we feel good. |

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|TO BE OF ANY REAL USE, THOUGH, YOUR PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT GOALS MUST BE “SMART”. |

| |

|SPECIFIC MEASURABLE ACTION BASED REALISTIC TIME LIMITED |

| |

|Specify one SMART goal for each of the focus key skill areas/specific skills identified at the end of Section B. |

|1. Educational Leadership | |

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|2. Organisational Leadership | |

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|3. Educational Management | |

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|4. Organisational Management | |

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|5. Cultural Leadership | |

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|6. Political Leadership | |

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|7. Reflective Leadership | |

ACTION PLAN

You now need to specify an action plan to achieve your SMART goals. In developing your action plan give specific consideration to how you can attain your goals. Your action plan will need to indicate:

|1. What is to be done? | |

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|2. How do you intend to do it? | |

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|3. Who is going to be involved and who might be affected by it? |

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|4. Over what time frame will it take place and when will any major actions occur? |

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|5. How will progress be monitored and the outcomes evaluated? |

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|6. What assistance do you require? |

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